What is Gillian Burke’s background?

Gillian, 42, was born just outside Nairobi, Kenya an lived what she describes as a “very happily feral” childhood, hunting barefoot for insects outside their house.

“I hated shoes," she told the Radio Times, "and would kick them off as soon as I got home from school”.

She would go on trips with her mechanic dad into the game parks to observe the wildlife and developed an awareness of conservation that came from her mum, who worked in Nairobi for the UN on environmental projects.

At the age of 10, she moved with her family to Vienna, Austria, but never lost her passion for wildlife.

But Burke said she was “horrified” when she was accused of breaking up the Springwatch team and told Radio Times: "A friend texted me one Monday morning saying I was in the papers. Can you imagine the horror for me of apparently busting into the party and being blamed for breaking it up?

"I can totally understand why people would want to know where I've come from; the perception is that I've just shown up. But I've been doing this a long time.”